


New Love

by zekelandons



Category: Manifest (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M, New love, mending broken hearts, unexpected love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 13,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28745076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zekelandons/pseuds/zekelandons
Summary: Drea Mikami is tasked by her partner Michaela Stone to keep an eye out on Jared Vasquez while Michaela is on her honeymoon with her husband Zeke. Little does Drea realize that keeping an eye out on Jared would become something more than she and Jared would realize.
Relationships: Drea Mikami/Jared Vasquez
Comments: 62
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Lmao I am not the biggest Jared fan, but I think Jaea should happen because the two of them work really well together and I can see Drea becoming a special person in Jared's life. And I have been meaning to write a Jaea fic for ages.

The precinct was busy, like normal. Floods of calls and people walking around. This was the life of being a detective; always busy and always crazy. I didn’t think my life would get anymore crazier than this until my phone rang. I looked at it and it was Mick. Smiling, I answered. “Hey,” I said as I bit into my apple that was lying on my desk. “What’s up?”

“Drea, I need to ask you something.”

“Sure. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s great.” Mick laughed. “My husband is alive so that’s something to be grateful for. Listen, I’m going to take a leave of absence. I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone for, probably maybe six months. But, I need you to keep an eye out on Jared. He needs someone who he can talk to. And, I know you like him.”

I felt my face turn red. “Mick!” I exclaimed. “Shut up!”

Michaela laughed. “I’ll be coming to the precinct to give notice to Bowers but I needed to let you know. Plus, I’ll send you pics from the honeymoon.” _A six month long honeymoon. Damn,_ I thought as I chewed on my apple. “Sounds great. I’ll see you in a bit.” I hung up and went back to looking at some case files.

A half hour later, Michaela showed up to the precinct with Zeke by her side. He looked so much healthier and stronger than he did two weeks previously. Michaela was glowing with that newlywed glow that brides had after they got married. I saw her give Zeke a few quick loving glances and she spoke to him for a bit and gave him a kiss and she stepped into Bowers' office and closed the door. I felt my heart swell in my chest. I admired Michaela and Zeke’s relationship. One night, Michaela had invited me over to have dinner with her and Zeke and we had a good time talking about life. And I had to agree with Michaela that Zeke’s cooking was something otherworldly. During dinner, I would see them give glances to each other that said more than words and if soulmates did exist, they were living proof. Michaela told me about Zeke’s struggle with addictions and how he was working hard on getting his life back together and she was so proud of him.

Zeke caught my gaze and he stepped towards me. “Mick’s brother Ben won a really amazing travel package,” he told me. “The two of us wanted to spend a year travelling together and we are finally doing it.” I smiled. “She seems so much happier now,” I commented. “She really is.” He paused as he looked at Jared who was staring at us. I struggled to read his face. There was probably a conflict of emotions going through his mind now. Just then, Bowers' door opened and Bowers stepped out. “Vasquez! Mikami! A word please,” she barked. “I should go,” I told Zeke. He gave me a nod. “Nice talking to you Drea. See you around.” Taking a deep breath, I collected my thoughts and went inside Bowers' office.

“Detective Stone-Landon is taking a six month leave of absence,” Bowers explained to both me and Jared. “She has requested that the two of you be partners while she is away. Can you guys do that?” I nodded. “Sure thing, Captain,” I said as I looked at Jared. “Yeah sure,” Jared said absentmindedly. “Don’t worry, Mick. I’ll take care of him.” I told Michaela. “Good. Well, I should probably head out, Zeke and I leave tomorrow morning for Chile.” “Enjoy your honeymoon, Detective,” Bowers said to Michaela, giving her a rare smile. “Thank you Captain. I will see you all in six months. Take care.” Giving Jared a small nod, Michaela stepped out of the office. I gazed at Jared and I saw so much sadness and longing in his eyes. _He still loves her and he can’t have her,_ I thought. _Well, I guess I’ll be his person. I promise you, Michaela, I will take care of him._ “Come on, Vasquez,” I said as I pushed a stray strand of hair back from my face. “I have a few cases I need some help on. I’ll buy you some hoagies.” I winked at him and he gave me a smile. “Food and working on a case huh?” he chuckled. “I can get behind that.” _Oh man,_ I thought. _This is going to be a very interesting six months._


	2. Chapter Two

The sound of my phone pinging a million notifications woke me up from a very relaxing sleep. Groaning, I slowly put my hand on my nightstand to feel for my phone and when I found it, I turned it on and saw a slew of text messages from Jared.

_**Drea.** _

_**You alive?** _

_**Hurry up I got something real good for you at work 😏** _

_**Get your ass to the precinct before I give it to someone else.** _

I chuckled. Just then, Mick texted a few pictures from the honeymoon. It had been four weeks since she and Zeke left New York and so far, they had visited Chile, Greece and Thailand. I remembered the first picture Mick sent me. They were in Chile and they took a selfie with an alpaca or a llama; I forget and Zeke was making a funny face along with Mick. Currently, they were in Iceland and the picture that Mick had sent was her and Zeke in the Blue Lagoon. The text read:

_**Enjoying Iceland the Blue Lagoon is such a relaxing place to unwind and it does wonders to your skin. The other day, we went hiking to a waterfall and Zeke was enjoying himself out there. He loves nature and hiking and I swear he doesn’t want to leave. Neither do I. We are heading to London next. I'll send pics of Buckingham Palace for you! Xoxo** _

Along with the picture of them in the Blue Lagoon, Mick had attached a picture of Zeke on a wrecked airplane and another picture of them kissing under a waterfall. I felt my heart swell with happiness for the two of them but that moment was ruined by Jared calling. Groaning, I answered the phone.

“Jared, I just got up and I need to take a shower. Give me twenty minutes,” I told him.

He laughed. “Well you better hurry up. There’s something good at the precinct for you if you can make it there in time.”

“I’ll be there soon I promise.” I hung up the phone and sighed. _I hope he didn’t do this to Mick,_ I thought to myself as I got out of bed and grabbed my clothes and headed to take my shower.

Twenty minutes later, I walked into the precinct and there was Jared, sitting at his desk with a giant box of doughnuts. _My weakness. Great,_ I thought as I made my way to him. _Mick told you my favorite comfort food._ “Is this what you called me here for?” I asked him. He grinned. “I couldn’t let the others steal our little stash,” he laughed. “Besides, these are the best doughnuts in the neighborhood. And, I got you coffee. I know how you like your coffee, two creams and three spoonfuls of sugar.” Jared handed me the cup of coffee and I took a sip. _Wow…_ I thought as I savored the sweetness and nuttiness of the coffee. _He does know._ Looking at the doughnut options, I saw that there was a coffee doughnut and I smiled. Taking it, I took a bite and I was met with a sweetness and a nuttiness that I had never tasted before. “Jared!” I said through a mouthful of doughnut. “These are so good!” He gave me a smile. “Pull up your chair. We got asked to work on a big case. We need to figure out where Saanvi Bahl is.”

I perked up. “Saanvi? Isn’t she a friend to the Stones?” I asked. “Yup. She was a passenger on 828. Apparently, her parents started to worry when she started ignoring their phone calls and texts. And no one has seen her since the wedding apparently. I’m going to ask her parents a few questions and then we need to head to Ben’s place. He and Saanvi are good friends I’m told.” “Does Mick know?” I asked. He shook his head. “She doesn’t need to worry yet. She and Zeke are currently on a very long vacation from New York and it’s probably best we don’t stress them out. They went through enough already.” There was a bitterness in his voice in the last sentence. “Jared? Is everything okay?” I asked. “It’s fine,” he said as he waved a hand to move away from the matter. “It’s nothing really.” But, I knew something was definitely bothering him. “Jared, I know something is bothering you,” I said, trying to see if I could help. “Spit it out.” “I think I may know why Saanvi disappeared but I’ll need to ask Ben. And, you’re coming with. Hope you like the Academy’s playlist. But first, we need to talk to Saanvi's parents.” Grabbing his coat and his keys he headed out and I followed him. Something was definitely bothering him and I was still wrapping my head around it. _Is there something that Mick hasn’t told me that I should know? Do I even want to know?_ The thought stayed with me during the entire car ride to Saanvi's parents house.


	3. Chapter Three

The ride to Saanvi’s parents house was quiet, minus the annoying music that Jared had blaring in the car. _He wasn’t kidding about the Academy playlist,_ I thought. _God I remember those days._ I glanced at him. I had always admired him from a distance but I had never gotten the nerves to talk to him until I met Mick. I learned about their history and I felt bad for both of them but in the end, I realized that they could never work; what happened between them was something that couldn’t be fixed.

I remembered the first day at the precinct when I saw him. So tall, so dashing and so damn hot. I mean, every single woman in the precinct had their eyes on Detective Jared Vasquez. I started working at the precinct in 2017, a year before Flight 828 returned. Jared was married so I knew he wasn’t available but still, he was very attractive. When Mick came back, he had his eyes only on her and soon there were rumors going around that something happened between them but things only tensed up when Zeke came into the picture. I watched Michaela from a distance and I had always admired her; she worked hard and she was determined. So when my old partner retired, I was so happy to learn that Michaela was going to be my partner and we became fast friends. And Jared was single…..until he wasn’t. Even though Michaela was with Zeke, she still cared about Jared as a friend and she felt uncomfortable seeing him kissing another woman. I thought about what she said to me earlier about me liking Jared. _She’d be fine with me if I dated Jared, right?_ I asked myself. _Of course she would. She’s married now and living the best life. She wants Jared to find his true love, whoever that might be._ Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted when Jared shook my shoulder. “Drea. We’re here.” I sighed.

“So…..you haven’t heard or seen her in a few weeks?” I asked Mrs. Bahl. She nodded. “She always calls at least twice a week to check up on us but we haven’t heard from her.”

“Has she been acting….strange lately?” Jared asked gently.

“She’s been focused on work. Like a lot,” Mr. Bahl said. “Who knows, she could be at the hospital for all I know. But, I don’t think she is. Please find her, Detectives. Saanvi is everything to us.” I gave them a small smile. “We’ll do everything that we can. Let us know if you hear anything from her.” Grabbing our coats, Jared and I left and headed to Ben’s.

“Ok Drea, has Mick ever mentioned to you about the Callings?” Jared asked me on the way to Ben’s house. “No,” I said, puzzled. “Why? What are the Callings?” He gave a deep long sigh. “Well long story short, ever since the passengers returned, some have been getting voices and visions in their heads that demand them to do something. Mick gets them, so does her brother but her nephew, Cal gets them in a different way. He draws them.” There was a pause. “Zeke is also a returnee. He wasn’t on the plane. A Calling brought Zeke and Michaela together and the Callings wanted them to be together. So much so that death couldn’t even separate them.” Now I was confused. “What do you mean, death couldn’t separate them?” “I’ll let Ben explain it, I’m still trying to grasp it myself.” The bitterness in his voice was back. Clearly, there was something about the Callings that Jared didn’t like and I wanted to know why.

When we got to Ben’s, Ben was a bit suspicious of me being there so he pulled Jared aside to talk. “Jared, you’re sure you can trust her?” Ben asked, his voice hushed. “I don’t want valuable info getting into the wrong hands.” “I know your concerns Ben. But both Mick and I vouch for Drea. She’s incredible and trustworthy. I’d trust her with my life.” I felt my heart skip a beat. _He...he trusts me? With his life?_ I thought. _That is one of the nicest things he has ever said to me…_ Ben’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “Okay, I’ll explain as much as I can without going over your heads.” He paused. “Hey Drea, you can come to the garage. We’ll talk there.”

Ben led Jared and I to the garage where I saw a giant board of pictures of passengers and other objects. A compass with a peacock, a drawing of two people on a rock and a picture of Zeke on a missing persons flyer. Next to Zeke’s picture was a picture of Michaela on a magazine clipping. “So, Ben,” I said as I made my way to the board. “Jared was telling me that Zeke is like you guys. He’s a returnee?” “Yes. So while we were still in flight, in 2017, Zeke was in upstate when a blizzard hit and he was forced to take shelter in a cave. He had to burn everything that he had to stay warm and he had this magazine and the last page was about Michaela. He said that her picture gave him strength to live and an earthquake hit and he was able to escape. But, what he didn’t know at the time was that a year had passed. So, after escaping from the cave, he held on to Michaela’s picture and kept saying ‘Find her’. Somehow, Michaela heard him say that and so did my son. We saved Zeke’s life. But, what Michaela and Zeke have is extremely rare. Their relationship is something a bit more than ordinary, it’s more like destiny.

“But, shortly after Zeke’s reappearance came Griffin, the armed robbery guy who died shortly after he came back. We discovered that the passengers have a ‘Death Date’ it means that however long we were gone for is how much time we have left to live. Griffin died of drowning and Zeke died of frostbite. But the thing is, in order to survive, you have to accept and follow the Callings, which is how Zeke survived. There was a man a long time ago named Yusuf Al-Zuras who disappeared with his crew of sailors for ten years. He wrote a whole journal about it which is how we got the information on how to beat the Death Date. And,” Ben paused, sighing deeply. “We learned that there would be consequences for those who didn’t follow the Callings. Saanvi got rid of the DNA marker that we have since we returned. She got rid of the Callings. She has been doing research and things haven’t been easy for her. But what I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room.” “What is it Ben?” Jared asked. “Robert Vance is alive and I’m pretty sure Saanvi is with him. But, I have a very bad feeling about this. I think Saanvi disappeared on purpose because I think she’s trying to hide something because I can’t get a hold of her either.” Jared and I looked at each other. _Something is going on here,_ I thought. _Something bad._


	4. Chapter Four

“What would Saanvi do to make her go AWOL?” asked Jared, who was just as confused as I was. Ben shrugged. “Look, Jared, you know about the Major. She was the one who was responsible for the missing passengers. I think she might have had a hand in this.” “Hold up,” I interrupted, totally confused. “Who’s the Major? And what is the deal with these missing passengers?” Ben took off his glasses for God knows the millionth time. I noticed it was a thing of his that he did when he was deep in thought or stressed. “Ok, so after Flight 828 came back, there were some passengers that weren’t claimed by family, either because they were from out of the country or they had no one. Those passengers were taken by a top secret government group of scientists and researchers to be experimented on. Some of the passengers, especially my son, could feel the effects of the experiments. The missing passengers were shocked with electricity into their brains-” “Electroshock therapy?” I butted in. Ben nodded. “Yes. The Major is a woman who was curious about the passengers and the phenomenon of Flight 828. Actually one of the passengers, Fiona Clarke was doing research on how people can share thoughts and the Major was working on that. Luckily, we managed to shut down the project but Vance supposedly died during the rescue mission.”

A faint memory of this event came back to me as I looked at Jared. “You were injured, right?” I asked him. He gave me a small nod. “If it weren't for Mick I wouldn’t be here. She found me and she saved my life.” A shadow crossed his face as he thought about his ex-fiancee. “So...how is the Major connected to Saanvi?” I asked. “A few weeks after that whole incident and shortly after Zeke returned, Saanvi was asked to help a woman whose husband was dying. The woman had other plans and she held Saanvi hostage at gunpoint because she refused to heal her husband. Saanvi has PTSD from that and the Major posed as a therapist in which she got a lot of valuable intel from Saanvi. And Saanvi had no idea that the Major was her therapist until we realized that there was a mole and we had Saanvi identify the Major as Major General Kathryn Fitz. She is a clever woman and so clever enough she got Saanvi fired from her job at the hospital and she lost her medical license.” The pieces were starting to come together in my mind. “You don’t suppose….” I started to say, trying to collect my thoughts. “Saanvi could be getting revenge?” Ben looked at me in horror. “Saanvi getting revenge? That doesn’t seem like her,” he mused. “But, how did you discover Vance was alive?” Jared asked. “It was shortly after we rescued the Vasiks from committing suicide on the George Washington Bridge,” Ben said as he paced around. “There was a white van that kept following me around and I confronted the people who owned it and I was kidnapped. I eventually learned that my kidnapper was Vance himself and he had faked his own death so he could better spy on the Major. I have a hunch Saanvi is with him, and he is probably in hiding with her. I haven’t heard from him in weeks but I still can’t help and think that they got caught up in something bad.” I gazed at Jared. Clearly, he was just as confused and scared as I was. “Should I tell Mick?” I whispered to him. He shook his head. “Nah,” he said. “She needs a break remember? The last thing I want to do is to ruin that honeymoon of hers.” I gave him a nod. “What do we tell Saanvi’s parents?” I asked him. “Nothing right now,” he said. “But, right now, I’m starving and I promised Mick I would take you somewhere for a bite. Besides, I’d like to know my new partner a bit better.” I chucked. “Ok, let’s go then!” Grabbing our coats and keys, we said our goodbyes to Ben and headed out.

“So, did you always want to be a cop?” Jared asked me as I took a bite of some sushi. I shook my head. “I wanted to be a lot of things,” I told him. “Teacher, doctor, and a princess. My mother told me that I should be a business executive like her, but when I got older, I wanted to help people get justice so I wanted to be a detective. You should’ve seen my mother’s reaction to that,” I laughed. “She wasn’t too thrilled. Neither was my dad but I know they’re proud of me.” “I’m sure they are,” Jared smiled at me. I felt myself blush. “You did good at Ben’s today.” I felt my heart skip a beat as I took in Jared’s words. “I’ve always admired you, Drea. Mick speaks highly of you and from the experience I have had working with you, you could be one of the best detectives of the NYPD.” He took a bite of his sushi. “Also, Drea Mikami?” “Yes?” “You know where to find good sushi in Queens. This is amazing and I could order a dozen more plates of this.” I laughed. “Did you always want to be a cop?” I asked Jared. “Grew up reading Hardy Boys,” he said. “Always loved mystery and everyone in my family knew it too. So it was no surprise when I told my family that I was going to the Academy. My dad was in the military and he was so proud of me. So was my mom.” I gave Jared a smile and noticed how his dark brown eyes twinkled in the sunlight. I felt my heart turn over in my chest. And then he grinned at me. And for the millionth time, I felt my face turn red again. "You're blushing," Jared teased. "Shut up!" I said. "You are too. And, I can tell you're one move away from stabbing me in the face with that chopstick in your hands." We both stared at each other and we started to laugh hysterically. _This is so much fun,_ I thought. _I could get used to this._


	5. Chapter Five

A month had passed since we had gotten word that Saanvi had disappeared. Since then, Mick and Zeke had visited several European countries and they managed to get to Africa too. Mick constantly gave me updates of the honeymoon. The most recent picture I got from her was a sunset from the Serengeti. The text read:

**_Watching the sunset with the love of my life. He made me a really delicious rice pilaf with chicken and we are sitting out on the deck of our Airbnb taking in the beauty of Africa. How’s Jared doing?_ **

Recently, Jared began to distance himself from me for some strange reason. When I tried to talk to him about it, he would snap at me and tell me to leave him alone. I was confused and frustrated. I sighed.

**_He's being moody 😒_** I replied. Mick responded back.

**_Give him time, Drea. When he’s ready to talk, he’ll let you know. Zeke wants to take me on a little hike under the stars so I’ll talk later. Bye xoxo_ **

Just then, my phone rang. It was Jared. I answered. “Hey, are you okay?” I asked. “Can you come up to the lake?” he asked.

“What lake?”

“The one where the meth heads disappeared to.”

“Send me directions and I’ll meet you there.”

Grabbing my things, I headed out the door and began my drive upstate. _Why the hell would he go back there?_ I asked myself as I drove. I took a quick bite of sushi that I grabbed from my favorite sushi place and continued driving.

When I got to the lake, I saw Jared sitting on the dock, wearing his favorite blue beanie. “Hey, loner,” I said as I sat down next to him. “Want some sushi?” I handed him the tray and he took the tray and popped one in his mouth. “Thanks,” he said as he chewed. “Look, I know I’ve been acting distant but I have a lot going on in my mind. I don’t get it at all. How the hell did these idiots disappear and we can’t find their bodies?” I shrugged. “No clue,” I told him. “I’m still wrapping my head around it too. Same with Flight 828.” Jared snorted. “Yeah I’m still not sure about that either. How does a plane disappear for five and a half years and the passengers don’t age a day? It makes no sense. And God, Mick….she looked like the same girl that left in 2013. So young, so beautiful…..but yet, she was still suffering.” “Suffering?” I asked. “Did something happen to her?” Jared nodded. “She blames herself for the death of her best friend, Evie. Evie, Lourdes and Mick were the three amigas. Those three….man they were a force to be reckoned with. They were tight. But, the car accident happened and it changed Mick. She said that no one could understand her. I tried, I really did, Drea but I couldn’t. But Zeke could. He understands her more than I ever did. And they only met just over a year ago and now they’re married. I don’t get it. I’ve known Mick for half of my life. She was my first love and I had a vision for us but that damn plane destroyed it. But, now that I think about it, that plane helped her in ways that she didn’t see. She is so sure of herself now. And she’s happier than she was. And I want to be happy for her, I mean I am, but it hurts. I keep messing up. I just want someone who can understand me. But, I don’t think I can love anyone else. It’s so hard to let go of something you want so badly but you can’t have it.” He sighed deeply and he laid down on his back and stared at the sky. I joined him.

“You know, my first love was someone my parents didn’t approve of,” I said as I straightened my coat. Jared turned his head and looked at me. “Well, your parents are rich after all,” he said. “I can tell by that watch. Oh, and the fact you ride with an English saddle instead of a Western one. I’ve peeked at your desk. Saw that picture and I totally was not expecting you to be an equestrian.” I laughed. “My mother made me,” I said. “She wanted me to be a proper lady. She even made me take etiquette classes when I was ten! I’m like, ‘Mom! I’m not a princess for crying out loud!’” Jared started laughing. “Okay, so let me guess, your first love, he wasn’t rich?” I nodded. “Middle class,” I told him. “I forget what his parents did, but he was a bit shady. But, one day, when we were eighteen, he left town and I didn’t know what happened to him until he came home two years later with a girl and a baby. He told me he wanted to run away and see the world and he met this girl that made him feel more alive than I could ever. It hurt and I was in a dark place for a long time and then, one day, I was done with being sulky and I told myself you gotta find something to take your mind off of it. So, I decided to follow my dream and become a cop. I wanted to help people and that’s what I did.” Jared gave a soft glance. “Drea, I….I’m so sorry that happened to you,” he said as he got up. “You know, I didn’t date another woman until two years after Flight 828 disappeared because I thought Mick was dead. But, when she came back, I didn’t know what to do. My heart was torn and it hurt. And I chose Mick over my wife and then Mick chose Zeke over me. I’m just afraid to open my heart again.” I patted his hand. “I know,” I whispered. “But, we take it one day at a time. We’ll get there.” Jared smiled at me. “You know, I want to stay here awhile,” he said as he laid back down on his back. “It’s actually quite comfy.” I giggled. “You know, it is! And also, that cloud right there looks like a fish that’s chasing a fly!” I pointed at the sky. “Oh yeah it does!” he said. “That one looks like a dog with really big ears.” I started laughing hysterically and Jared joined in and we stayed like that, telling jokes and trying to figure out what the shape of the clouds are until the sun set and we gazed at the stars. It felt…. _absolutely perfect._


	6. Chapter Six

After lying outside on the dock for a while, Jared and I decided to go to a bar to get a drink. Looking around, we found a bar nearby that offered live music. “You know, I love live music bars,” Jared told me as we walked out to our cars. “I took Mick all the time to them. And some bars would even let the audience come and sing.” “Oh don’t tell me you got up and sang to her,” I said as I pushed my hair back. Jared gave me a smirk. “Of course I did,” he chuckled. “She told me I was a very cheesy romantic.” “Huh,” I said. “Wasn’t expecting that from you, cheesy romantic. How many cheesy rom-coms have you seen?”

“Too many.”

“And were there cute guys who sang to their girlfriends at bars?”

“Quite possibly.”

“Hmm. Okay then. Well, if you do sing, I would very much love to hear it.”

“Oh you will.”

_Jared Vasquez, detective and professional wooer of women,_ I thought to myself. _I can see why girls like him. He serenades them. Nice._

The bar was noisy and loud when we walked in. Jared, being the gentleman that he was, took off my coat for me and hung it up and he took my hand and led me to a chair. He ordered two beers for us along with an appetizer plate. “So, did your first love ever woo you with music?” Jared asked me as he took a sip of his beer. I shook my head. “Poet,” I said. “He loved poetry. Too much. Especially Shakespeare’s sonnets. God, listening to that was torture. I mean it was cute, but it was too much in my opinion. I definitely thought he was so going to go to school to be an English major but nope, he decided to ditch the girl he supposedly loved to explore the world. Oh and meet another girl and have a baby with her. After that….I wasn’t so sure if I could even love anyone else again.” Jared looked at me and I saw something familiar in his eyes. That same longing, that same sadness of wanting to love again but being afraid to open up again. “I still don’t get how Mick did it with Zeke,” Jared mused. “How did she open herself up to love again?” I shrugged. “I don’t know. But, I think fate wanted those two together. I had dinner with them once. And, Zeke, he can cook. Do you remember that time when Mick brought that curry to the precinct for the potluck a few months back?” Jared nodded as he grabbed a fried pickle. “He made that. It was so good, that there was none left after the party was over.” Something lit up in Jared’s eyes. “Zeke made that?” he asked, clearly dumbfounded that an ex-addict could cook so well. “Yup,” I nodded as I bit into a mozzarella stick. “The man can cook his wife a really damn good meal. Do you cook?” I asked him. Jared grinned. “I can make ramen,” he said with a guilty smile on his face. “And mac and cheese from a box. Basically anything that requires boiling water.” “One of these days, Jared Vasquez, I will come over to your house and show you how to make a proper meal. No more ramen cups for you.” Jared gave me a pouty face. “They’re good Drea,” he whined. “Real ramen is good but it takes forever to make. My mom makes a mean ramen and I would die for some now.” “Sounds like your mother is a good cook,” Jared smiled at me. “I’d like to try her ramen.” I started giggling. “Well, she does work on Wall Street,” I told him as I grabbed a jalepeño popper from the appetizer tray. “You’ll have to wait until a weekend to get it.”

“Let’s hope we better not be working when she makes it.”

“Yeah let’s hope.”

Just then, the sound of guitars strumming interrupted our conversation. A guy with ginger hair and beard stepped to the mic. “Hey, we are having an open mic night so if you want to come up here and sing, we’d be happy for you to come join us.” That’s when Jared got up and talked to the guy and one of the guitarists gave Jared his guitar. Jared strummed the guitar and began to tune it and soon the familiar melody of “You Are The Reason” by Callum Scott was playing. And when Jared opened his mouth to sing, my jaw dropped as he sang.

_**“There goes my heart beating 'Cause you are the reason I'm losing my sleep Please come back now”** _

_Damn,_ I thought as I listened to Jared sing. _He really can sing._ And when he got to the refrain, I was in chills.

_**I'd climb every mountain And swim every ocean Just to be with you And fix what I've broken Oh, 'cause I need you to see That you are the reason”** _

And then, I saw him gaze at me with a softness in which I had never seen. _Is he….is he singing for me?_ I wondered. _Because I’m going to sing with him._ Getting up, I ran up to the stage and grabbed a mic and I began to sing.

_**"There goes my hands shaking And you are the reason My heart keeps bleeding I need you now”** _

Jared gave a surprised smile as he sang with me. Our voices blended so well together, I was in awe. I moved closer to him and I gazed into his chocolate brown eyes and found myself so in awe of him.

_**"And if I could turn back the clock I'd make sure the light defeated the dark I'd spend every hour, of every day Keeping you safe”** _

I felt such a warm feeling envelop both Jared and I and I could sense that Jared felt it too. Then, we sang the refrain together and it felt time stopped for the both of us, like the world faded and it was us two, alone.

_**"And I'd climb every mountain And swim every ocean Just to be with you And fix what I've broken Oh, 'cause I need you to see That you are the reason”** _

While Jared sang the melody, I sang the bridge and I closed my eyes, savoring the moment and I could tell he was too. I couldn’t believe that we were doing this, together and it was amazing.

_**"I don't wanna fight no more I don't wanna hide no more I don't wanna cry no more Come back I need you to hold me You are the reason Be a little closer now Just a little closer now Come a little closer I need you to hold me tonight”** _

And when we reached the last chorus, I felt Jared pull me close and he wrapped his arms around me and he gave me the softest gaze as we sang. I felt so much joy coursing through my body. _Is it happening?_ I asked myself. _It is._

_**"I'd climb every mountain And swim every ocean Just to be with you And fix what I've broken 'Cause I need you to see That you are the reason”** _

And when we finished, I felt his hand brush against my cheek and ever so slowly and lightly, our lips met and I kissed him deeply, feeling this feeling of pure bliss coursing through me. We pulled apart for a second before we closed the gap again. We could barely hear the applause and I’m sure the audience thought we were crazy for kissing on the stage but we didn’t care. He actually really did care for me and I really cared for him too. When we pulled apart again, he gave a smile, so gentle and sweet. “Thank you, Drea,” he murmured. “You are the reason why I have hope in learning to love again.” I responded by kissing him again and he responded by picking me up and twirling me in his arms. “Let’s get out of here,” I whispered. He grinned. “Sounds like a plan.” And just like that, we left the bar and ran back to the dock and we laid in each other’s arms staring at the stars and staring into each other’s eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zekaela ships Jaea hardcore. That is all.

_**Cairo, Egypt** _

The sound of Michaela’s phone going off woke Michaela from a very sound sleep. “Who wants to disturb our honeymoon?” Zeke groaned as Michaela reached for her phone. “Is it an emergency?” She opened her phone to find a whole bunch of texts from Drea. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my GOD!” Michaela shrieked. “What?” Zeke asked as wrapped his arms around his wife.

“I’m so happy they finally did it!”

“Who did what?”

Michaela turned to Zeke and gave him the biggest grin. “Jared and Drea kissed!” she shrieked. “Do you have any idea of how long I had been waiting for that moment?” He shook his head. “Months!” she laughed as she flopped her head on the pillow. “I did it!” “Wait,” Zeke said as he laid down next to Michaela. “You...you set them up?” She gave him a smirk. “Zeke, I have seen the two of them stare at each other at work. The chemistry between them is clearly undeniable. So, I purposely assigned Drea to be Jared’s partner while we were gone and I am so glad that I did.” “Now that you mention it, I actually can see those two being a thing.”

“Told you!”

“I love you so much, Mrs Stone-Landon,” Zeke whispered as he kissed her lips and then her jaw and her neck. “Not only are you an incredible wife, but you’re a damn good matchmaker.” She laughed at that. “Matchmaker huh?” she teased. She paused. “The Callings are amazing matchmakers. They got us together.”

“True, and that was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I’m so incredibly lucky to be your husband.”

“And I’m incredibly lucky to be your wife.”

Moving as one, they kissed each other and Michaela ran her hands through Zeke’s hair and beard and she felt his arms wrap around her and he pulled her close to him. They continued to kiss until suddenly, Michaela’s phone began to ring. She groaned. “Who is interrupting my make out session with my husband?” she asked out loud as she grabbed her phone. “Oh it’s TJ,” she said as she swiped to answer the call. “TJ, hey!” she said as she sat up.

“What’s up?”

“Ben told me you’re in Cairo,” TJ said.

“Yeah we are for the week. Is everything okay?” There was a pause.

“Can we meet?” he asked. “I found something.”

“What did you find?”

“Meet me at the university. I’ll text you directions.”

“Okay, we’ll meet you there. Bye.”

“Mick, is everything okay?” Zeke asked. “TJ wants to meet us at the university,” she explained. “Which means our plans are slightly postponed for the time being. Come on, let’s get dressed.” Rolling out of bed, they hopped into the shower and got dressed and headed out to see TJ.

The university was located in a quiet neighborhood of Cairo and TJ met them at the fountain that was in the entrance. “Hey, guys I’m so glad you guys could come,” he said as he hugged both of him. “I was doing some digging into Al-Zuras and I found a drawing and there is something oddly familiar about the people in it.” He handed the drawing to Michaela and she gasped. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “What?” Zeke asked. “Look at the drawing.” Looking closer, both Zeke and Michaela were shocked to see Jared and Drea standing together, leading a group of people away from a massive explosion. Suddenly, the familiar feeling of a Calling appearing hit both Zeke and Michaela as they saw a building explode and they saw Jared and Drea leading people out of the rubble. A loud voice cried out in the midst of the screaming and yelling: _**“Guide them!”**_


	8. Chapter Eight

Zeke and Michaela snapped out of the Calling and they both looked at each other with frantic looks on their faces. “Oh God,” Michaela moaned as Zeke grabbed her shoulder to help support her. “That Calling…” she didn’t have to finish because Zeke knew what it reminded her of. The nightclub fire. “Shhh, just breathe,” Zeke murmured as she tried to calm her breathing down. She moved closer to Zeke and buried her head in his chest and he held on to her. “Are her Callings this intense?” TJ asked. Zeke nodded. “She feels the Callings more deeply, except maybe Cal. He draws his,” Zeke explained. “Ben told me that. But, I read something in Al-Zuras’s journal that explains otherwise.” This peeked Michaela’s interest. “What do you mean?” Michaela asked as she ran her hand through her hair. “Al-Zuras mentioned the two of you, a lot actually. He says that your connection is extremely powerful, so powerful that you can transmit Callings to non-returnees.” TJ explained as he handed the journal to Zeke and Michaela. Michaela flipped through the journal and she saw her and Zeke’s relationship from their first meeting to the wedding. “Al-Zuras wrote about us?” Michaela whispered in shock. “He did indeed. You two are extremely special and he argues that your abilities outmatch Cal’s.” Zeke shook his head. “TJ, that can’t be possible,” he told him. “Cal….he knows what’s going to happen. We don’t. We see the Calling but we have to follow it through before we understand the real reasoning behind it. Like how we had our first Calling which led me to the site where my sister died. We thought it meant the cave where I...uh...disappeared in but we had to observe the Calling deeper.” TJ nodded, taking in Zeke’s words. “Well, you have something that Cal doesn’t have and that’s the ability to warn non-returnees of danger.” Michaela saw where TJ was going with this. “You want us to warn Jared and Drea about an explosion?” she asked. TJ nodded. “Exactly. If you can reach them, then they could save countless lives.” Zeke wasn’t buying it. “Jared and Drea barely understand the Callings. We can’t call them up saying ‘Hey guys! You guys need to be here at this time and at this date and oh you need to save people from an exploding building!’ TJ, they’re not going to buy it.” TJ grinned. “Well, luckily for you,” he said as he pulled out a notebook from his pocket. “I got the instructions on how to send a Calling to them.”

Later that night, Zeke and Michaela went to a quiet park outside of Cairo. They had a delicious supper of cooked lamb with pita bread and rice and they spent the whole afternoon reading TJ’s notes. Al-Zuras recommended a quiet place with few distractions for the Calling to work. Zeke was still amazed by how powerful his and Michaela’s connection was. She was too, and they both wondered why the Callings would choose them. Over the last year, they had grown not only as individuals but they also grew as a couple. They knew their connection was extremely unique and special and if Al-Zuras mentioned them in his journal more than a hundred times then they knew that this was what they had to do.

The stars were twinkling down on them, just like the night when they saw the petrograph and the lightning. “Remember that night?” Zeke asked Michaela as he took her hand and helped her onto a giant rock that was big enough for the two of them to sit. She grinned. “I will never forget that night,” she told him. “You said you wanted to stay and forget the world. And I so wanted to stay with you.” He gave a smile. “Well, tonight we are going to help save lives. Let’s hope this works.” Taking both of her hands in his, Zeke and Michaela sat cross legged on the rock and they stared into each other’s eyes. Zeke’s hazel eyes glowed while Michaela’s blue eyes shone through the dark. “Ok, we need to focus our minds on our recipients,” Michaela whispered. Closing her eyes and feeling Zeke’s thumbs rubbing against hers, she breathed and imagined Jared and Drea. _Guide them, guide them, guide them,_ Michaela whispered in her mind. She heard Zeke whisper the same thing. It slowly became like a mantra and as they spoke the Calling words, they saw the image of the Calling flash across their minds once more. Focusing their minds on the image, Zeke and Michaela transmitted the Calling to Jared and Drea, and they heard a faint _**CLICK!**_ as the Calling was successfully transmitted. And just to be on the safe side, Michaela sent both Jared and Drea a message that said:

_**Did you get the message?** _

Drea immediately texted back:

_**Michaela, what the hell was that?** _

Michaela responded back:

_**That was a Calling.** _

She looked at Zeke. “It worked. Now, let’s see if they’ll actually follow it.” He nodded and he pulled her close to him and she laid her head against his shoulder and they stared at the stars together. _Please follow it,_ she begged in her mind. _Please._


	9. Chapter Nine

A few days had passed since the kiss in the bar and I had never felt happier in my whole life. Jared Vasquez, the guy who I had a crush on for months actually liked me back. So much so that he kissed me in front of an audience at a bar. In the middle of nowhere. I texted Michaela that it finally happened but I didn’t get a response back. I assumed she and Zeke were probably either in a place with bad cell service or they were really loving each other up for her to notice my texts. I still remember that night like it was yesterday, us singing together in the bar, our voices blending so perfectly well. But, today, I was sick with the flu and I was stuck at home.

I was watching a documentary series about Paris, France when my cat, Blossom hopped on my bed and began meowing and purring at me. She rubbed her head against mine and I smiled. “Hi, baby girl,” I whispered as she licked me. “Mommy is trying to watch tv. You can join her.” Picking her up, I placed her on my chest and I felt her relax and her purring became louder. Just then, the doorbell rang. Groaning, I pushed Blossom off of me and turned the tv off and grabbed a blanket since I was freezing and I went to open the door. It was Jared and he held out a bag from my favorite Chinese restaurant. I looked at him in surprise.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked him as I took the bag. He gave me a grin. “My girlfriend is sick so I brought something to make her feel better.” I gave him a smile. “Want to come in?” I asked. He nodded. “Figured you’d like some company besides your cat,” he told me as he pointed to Blossom who came to the door and she meowed loudly. “Blossie, this is Jared,” I told her. “He is a very special person to me and you better behave for me.” Walking up to Jared, Blossom rubbed herself on Jared and purred loudly. “I guess she likes me,” Jared chuckled as he stepped inside. “Good, because she probably won’t leave you alone.”

Jared brought me hot and sour soup from my favorite Chinese restaurant along with egg rolls and lo mein. “How did you know this is my favorite restaurant?” I asked him as I took a bite of an egg roll. “I’m a detective,” he said slyly. “It’s my job to observe for clues. And also, I’ve seen you get all three items from there and you shared it with Mick and not me. Do you have any idea of how much I wanted those egg rolls?” I shook my head. “Oh I wanted them so bad but I was worried about getting slapped by at least one of you. You’re very protective of those egg rolls.” I started laughing. “What? They’re good!” I told him. “You should try the wontons. Oh man, those things are so amazing. And this soup is really helping me feel less congested.” Jared winked at me. “That’s the point, silly,” he whispered as he kissed my forehead. “I can’t have my partner feeling sick. Work is lonely without you.” “I’ve been watching too many Netflix documentaries about Paris,” I told him. “You’re a nice distraction from all of that.” He raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” he said, sounding surprised. “I mean, I’ve learned so much about Paris. It’s on my bucket list to go visit.” A shadow crossed Jared’s face as I mentioned Paris. “Oh, did you want to take Mick there?” I asked. He gave me a small nod. “Yeah. I did. We were gonna go visit the Eiffel Tower and take a boat on the Seine but that didn’t happen.” I put a hand over his and I squeezed it gently. “There’s always someone else you can take with you,” I told him softly and he smiled at me. “Perhaps.” There was a pause. “Did Zeke take Mick to Paris?” he asked me. I shook my head. “He’s planning to take her there for Valentine’s Day,” I told him. “She told him that he is such a romantic.” Jared laughed at that. “Zeke Landon, a romantic,” Jared mused. “I can see it. I mean, the man does cook, so I have been told. What else does he do besides cook? Sing, write?” I shrugged. “No clue. I think they just spend lots of time together talking about stuff. But, honestly, I never ask them about that. It’s not my business but all I know is that Zeke means everything to her and vice versa. There’s just something about them that is different than most couples I’ve seen.” Jared looked at me with interest. “You’re right about that,” he said as he got up and took my empty dishes and put them in the dishwasher. “Those two have a very interesting relationship. I’m surprised how fast they moved. They only dated for eight months before he popped the question but they met in December of 2018 and got married in December of 2019. I guess a lot can happen in a year.” I had to agree on that. I knew for a long time that Jared didn’t trust Zeke but after saving Zeke’s life from the Xer’s, Jared and Zeke became friends even though it was painfully awkward seeing the two of them making small talk. After all, Zeke was Michaela’s husband and Jared was her ex-fiance. But, I knew Jared was pushing himself to make an effort to be more friendly to Zeke. And I had to admit, I was proud of him for doing that.

After lunch, Jared and I sat on the couch. I had my head lying on his lap while he stroked my hair with his hand. “You feeling a bit better?” he asked me. I gave him a small smile. “A bit better,” I told him. “I’m not out of the woods yet.” Just then, I felt a searing headache come out of nowhere and I saw my living room vanish. I gasped in pain and that’s when I saw a building on fire. People were screaming and yelling and in the midst of all of that, I saw Jared in the vision as well. “Jared!” I yelled, my voice breaking. “What’s going on?” “I don’t know!” he yelled. Then, we heard a loud voice scream out: _**“Guide them!”**_

I snapped out of the vision and I pushed myself up from Jared’s lap, gasping for air. I turned and I saw he too was also shaken up. “You okay?” I asked as I reached out my hand and touched his arm. “Yeah,” he moaned as he swayed. Grabbing both his arms, I pulled him close and we held onto each other. Then, I heard my phone buzz with a text. Grabbing my phone, I noticed a text from Mick that read:

_**Did you get the message?** _

I immediately texted her back.

_**Michaela, what the hell was that?** _

Michaela responded back and what she wrote shook me to the core.

_**That was a Calling.** _


	10. Chapter Ten

“Wait,” Jared said as he rubbed his hand on his head. “That-that was a Calling?” I nodded and shrugged at the same time. “I think so?” I said, as I got up from the couch. “Drea,” Jared’s voice was cold. “You think or you know? There is a difference.” I sighed, clearly frustrated. “I don’t know!” I exclaimed. “It probably was.” “Well, Mick said it was one.” “I’m not dumb, Jared, I read the text. Why would she send us a Calling? We aren’t passengers and we are certainly not Zeke Landon or Griffin. So what the hell is going on?” Michaela told me that Jared was a very logical person so clearly, he was in denial that this was happening. He grabbed his phone from the table. “What are you doing?” I asked. “Calling Michaela and asking her why she is playing with our minds,” he said curtly. “Ok fine." I told him as I sat down on the couch. “Put her on speaker.” Jared obliged and after waiting for her to answer, she picked up. “So, you got the Calling?” she asked us. “Yeah,” Jared snapped. “How the hell did that happen?” “Zeke and I learned that we have the ability to transmit Callings to non-passengers,” she explained. This shocked both of us. “I’m sorry, what?” I asked, clearly dumbfounded. “Oh hi Drea,” Michaela said. “I see I’m on speaker. Zeke’s here too. He helped me transmit the Calling. It’s an ability we have apparently according to Al-Zuras.” “The sailor guy?” I asked. “Yes, the sailor guy. TJ is studying about him in Egypt and we were luckily there. Look, you have to follow the Calling from beginning to end. If you don’t, bad things will happen. I know from experience since I defied a Calling. So, if you get the Calling again, which you probably will, pay attention to the details. See where this place is, look for details. Be detectives. If you need anything else, call me. I’ll talk to you later.” Michaela hung up and Jared and I looked at each other with confusion. “Ok, she and Zeke better not abuse this power of theirs,” Jared muttered. “Putting stuff like that in people's heads is…….” he couldn’t finish the sentence. He was still trying to wrap his head around the whole Calling experience. “Let’s go to Ben,” I suggested. “He could help.” Jared smiled at me. “You are a genius, Drea Mikami! Are you feeling up to it?” he asked me. “I feel a little bit woozy, maybe ask Ben to come over here so we can figure it out together.” Jared nodded, still smiling at me. “I’ll call him right now.”

A half hour later, the doorbell rang again and I opened the door to let Ben in. “Wow, Drea this is a nice apartment,” he told me as I took his coat. “Thanks,” I said as I put his coat on a hook. “My mom actually helped me find this place. It’s close to a lot of amazing ethnic restaurants.” Ben smiled at me. “Well, I’m glad I can help. I heard Mick called you. Of course I had to call her to see what was going on. And, I still can’t believe what Al-Zuras said about her and Zeke.” “About their abilities?” Jared asked. “Yeah, but according to Al-Zuras, Zeke and Mick’s abilities are stronger than Cal’s which makes no sense, since Cal seems to know what is going to happen before we do. But, this whole transmitting Callings to non-passengers just confuses me.” “We know,” I told Ben. “I think it could be dangerous,” Jared said, his voice dark. “What if they transmit a Calling to the wrong people?” Ben shook his head. “Highly doubt the Callings would do that unless they thought the recipient was the right person for the job. If Zeke and Mick saw the two of you, they knew they could trust you. So, trust them and trust the Callings. They do good, Jared.” Jared snorted. “I’ll believe it when I see it.” “Jared…..” I started. “I still am trying to figure out, Drea. You are too, let's figure it out.” I sighed. _We are going to be here for a while,_ I thought miserably.

“Ok, so you were in a building with lots of people in it?” Ben asked as he drew a square on a giant notepad that he brought with him. I nodded. The Calling flashed through my mind again. _See where this place is, look for details. Be detectives._ Mick’s words rang through my mind. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and I focused my mind on the details. 

_I was back in the Calling except everything was moving a lot slower this time. I looked around. It was a restaurant, more specifically an Italian restaurant. I walked around the restaurant, looking for any details that could help me piece the details together. I found a menu and looked at the name of the restaurant. “D’Amicos,” I whispered. I knew where that was. It was close to the precinct. Since this was a Calling, no one else in the Calling could see me. Then, I heard a voice behind me. “It’s February 14th,” Jared told me. “How did you find that out?” I asked. He grinned. “The receipt on the table, genius.” I grabbed my phone from my pocket to check the date and he was right. It was Valentine’s Day. But, there was something else. “Jared, look at the time,” I gasped. His eyes grew wide. “8:28 PM,” he breathed._

I snapped out of the Calling and I gasped heavily. I felt Jared’s hand on my shoulder. “Shhh, take it easy,” he told me gently. “D’Amico’s,” I said weakly to Ben. “Valentine’s Day. 8:28PM. That’s when it’s going to happen.” Ben quickly wrote that down. “Seems like the two of you are going to have a very eventful Valentine’s Day,” he said. I felt myself blush. _Yes, we are,_ I thought as I looked at Jared. _And this was not how I imagined our Valentine’s Day was going to go._


	11. Chapter Eleven

Valentine’s Day was finally here. Instead of feeling all warm and fuzzy inside like the most average woman does on this day, I felt absolutely sick to my stomach. _Breathe, Drea, breathe,_ I told myself. _You can do this. You and Jared are going to save lives today. You are going to follow a Calling and you’re not going to back out. Mick needs you to do this._ I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. It was Jared. He sent me a Valentine’s Day text.

_**Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️ You are amazing Drea see you soon xoxo** _

I felt a bit of the uneasiness fade away as I saw Jared’s text. I imagined a completely different Valentine’s Day for us; I would’ve invited him over to my place and we would watch cheesy rom-coms and get drunk while watching them. But, instead, we were going to go to an Italian restaurant and help people. “You’re a cop, this is what you do,” I told myself as I grabbed my coat and headed out to work.

When I got to work, I found my desk covered in pink and red streamers and hearts. On my desk was a box of very exquisite chocolate along with some red wine that I had my eyes on for a while. I then felt Jared’s arms wrap around my waist. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he whispered into my ear. “Jared..” I started. “You didn’t have to go all out like this!” “Oh, but I did,” he told me. “I know that you wanted this particular bottle of wine because I overheard you and Mick talk about it over lunch one day and I saw the picture of it. And, I know you love chocolate.” I turned around and I responded by kissing him deeply in front of the whole precinct. There were some faint “Oooooooh’s” from some of the officers. When we pulled apart, Jared grinned at me. “Ok, Vasquez, we better hide this booty from the rest of the precinct before they come and try to steal it from us.” I told him. “Good point. But, the streamers are staying up. Makes your desk look nice.” I giggled. “You’re right about that. Hey, let’s go eat this chocolate in the car and we should probably plan how our date is going to work. Wish we could have the wine right now but maybe we’ll have that later.” “Those chocolates are calling my name,” Jared said as he grabbed the box and we headed out to my car.

We had obtained a blueprint of the restaurant a couple days ago from the architect that built the restaurant and we looked at all the exits. “So, everyone is probably going to go out the main door,” I said as I pointed to the main door. Jared nodded. “And those are the emergency exits which are probably going to be open since it is an explosion. Do you think the explosion is planned or unintentional?” I shrugged. “I don’t know but I do have a bad feeling about it.” “Same. But, whoever the culprit is, we will catch them.” Jared held up his hand and I gave him a high five. “We got this,” I told him. “Is there more chocolate?” I asked as I took the box and found there were two left. The box came with a guidebook for the chocolates and we looked at the pictures. “I call dibs on the mocha one,” I said as I took the chocolate from the box. Jared made a pouty face at me. “I wanted that one,” he whined. “Too bad,” I told him. “Yours has caramel which is very delicious and decadent.” He smiled at me. “You got a point.” He took the last chocolate and popped it into his mouth. “It’s so good!” he exclaimed. “Of course it is. It’s a very fine box of chocolate.” We laughed and before we knew it, our lips met and we kissed deeply, enjoying our little moment.

Later that night, Jared came to my place and picked me up. I wore a black dress that went a few inches above my knees and it was tight around my thighs. The sleeves were long sleeved and the middle back of the dress was backless. In my very expensive Prada purse, I had my gun just in case someone was there to cause harm. I looked at myself in the mirror one last time and I had to admit, I looked good. When Jared came over, he gasped. “Detective Drea Mikami,” he whispered. “You are so gorgeous.” I felt myself blush. “Thank you, Detective Vasquez.” I giggled. “Let’s get going.”

D’Amicos was packed that night and the two of us had made reservations days in advance. Our waitress came and took our drink order. I ordered a fine variety of Pinot for Jared and I. I checked the time. “It’s 8:00 PM,” I told Jared. “That means, we have 28 minutes to act like we are a normal couple until chaos happens.” Jared gestured at the menu. “Let’s figure out what we want to eat. This shrimp scampi looks very tempting,” he whispered. I looked at the picture. “Ooooh, it does,” I said. “I had my eyes on the gnocchi. It comes with chicken and salad.” Jared raised an eyebrow. “Gnocchi?” he asked. “I was not expecting you to be a gnocchi person.” “I love potatoes!” I told him. “Except sweet potatoes. Those are nasty.” Jared nodded. “You’re right about that,” he said as he took a sip of wine. “I hated those.” There was a pause. “Mick always loved sweet potatoes. I have no idea why but she loves sweet potato fries. When we would go to fairs she’d get them. I stuck to my regular fries and I told her she was crazy.” “What did she say back?” I asked him. “She told me to shut up and mind my own business.” He paused. “Is she in Paris?” he asked me. I nodded. “Zeke made her a really romantic dinner. Chicken, asparagus, mashed potatoes and a very delicious vanilla cake. Their hotel has a really nice view of the Eiffel Tower here, I’ll show you.” I pulled up the photo that she had sent to me a few hours ago. Their meal looked so good and my mouth began to water. The next picture was her and Zeke on the balcony kissing each other in the candlelight with the Eiffel Tower behind them. _Relationship goals,_ I thought to myself.

My thoughts were interrupted when I looked at the time on my phone. 8:28PM. Then, I looked at Jared and he nodded. And then, we heard a _**BANG!** _and we saw the Calling play out in real life. Springing up from our seats, we went to full cop mode. “Everyone!” I yelled. “Get up and get out of the building! Someone call 911! Let’s move it!” Jared and I guided everyone out of the building, the smoke was getting thicker and we coughed as we got everyone out. Suddenly, I felt a hand touch my shoulder. It was an older gentleman. “Please, help me find my wife, Addie,” he pleaded. “I thought she was with me but I can’t find her!” “Sir, let me get you to safety and then we’ll look for your wife. We’ll find her,” Jared told him. “Drea, take him outside and then find me. We need to find Addie and see if anyone else is still inside.” I nodded as I took the man’s hand and led him outside. “How far away is the fire department?” a woman asked once I got outside. “They’ll get here soon ma’am,” I told her. “Please hang on tight. Can you watch this man for me? I need to find his wife.” The woman gave a nod and I ran back inside, covering my mouth. “Jared!” I yelled. “Where are you?” “Over here Drea! I found Addie!” Following the sound of his voice, I found Jared with Addie. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” “Hey! Stop right there!” a different voice yelled throughout the smoke. “Who’s there?” I called out. The smoke cleared a bit and a man stood there. He was tall and stocky and he had long black hair and a mustache. He reminded me of Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean. He held out a drawing and when I looked at it I gasped. “Where are they?” the man demanded. “I need to find them!” I felt Jared touch my shoulder. “Why does he have a drawing of Mick and Zeke?” he whispered to me. “I have no idea.” Facing the strange man, I took a deep breath. “Who are you?” I asked him. There was a long pause. “I am Joseph Lazarus,” he said. “I need their help. They are the only ones who can help me. I thought they would be here but you’re not them!” Jared and I looked at each other.__

__  
_ _

_What the hell is going on?_


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im super sorry that I haven't updated, writers block is a bitch and its a pain in the ass but luckily I'm back!

_**Tannersville, NY** ___

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___**NSA Facility** _ _ _

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Director Robert Vance of the NSA was in his office of the new top secret NSA branch, looking at reports when the door knocked. “Come in,” he said. A young woman with long black hair and gentle brown eyes stepped inside. She wore a black blazer with a white button up blouse and black pants. "Cassandra, what can I do for you?" he asked her. “Director, he’s awake,” she told him.

“The returnee?”

“Yes. And, there’s more.”

Vance gave her a look. “What now? First we got this situation and now we got the tailfin in Cuba to deal with. What could it possibly be, Cassandra?” Cassandra pursed her lips. “There have been more re-appearances around the globe. All the returnees, if we should even be calling them, seem to know the man that we found near the cave where Zeke Landon disappeared.”

“What intel have you gotten about Zeke Landon?”

“He had some run ins with the law in the past for illegal drug use and possession and other things. Oh, and he married a passenger. Michaela Stone. Otherwise, I really don’t have any more info about him, sir. I think you can ask Saanvi. I heard she is close to him.” Vance nodded. “Is the man ready to talk?” he asked. Cassandra nodded. “Yes, I’ll meet you down there.”

A half hour later, Vance and Cassandra met at the hospital room where the man was staying in for observation. He looked a lot like Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean. A couple nurses were in the room, doing some checkups on the man before they left the room to give Vance and Cassandra some privacy to talk to the man. After the nurses left, Cassandra pulled out her iPad and opened a translator app. “What do you need that for?” Vance asked her. “He only speaks Latin, at least that’s what he was speaking when we found him. So, it’ll translate it into English.” Vance nodded. He faced the man. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” he asked the man. Cassandra typed the phrase in the app and the app translated it to Latin and an automated voice spoke in Latin. “I can speak English,” the man said. “I don’t know what that voice box is, but it does a terrible job at translating. I remember some vague details about what happened before I ended up here, but I would like it if you can call me Joseph Lazarus. It’s an easier version of my name to say.” “What is your name?” “Yusuv Al-Zuras. I am from the 1500’s and I was separated from my crew during a storm and that’s all I remember. Oh,” he paused as he pulled out a picture. “I need to find these two people. They are the ones who caused my crew and I to be separated in the first place and they are the only ones who can bring me home.” Vance took the picture and immediately recognized Michaela Stone from the drawing. “What business do you have with Michaela Stone?” “She and the man drew me here. To...whatever this place is. It is important that I find her and the man.” Vance sighed. “Alright we’ll see where they are.” Giving Cassandra a non-verbal gesture to follow him out of the room, Vance led her to a side room. “How the hell is Michaela Stone involved in this?” Cassandra asked. “Since the passengers came back, some have been experiencing...visions and hearing voices in their heads, telling them to accomplish something. Ben Stone’s son, Cal experiences the visions, they call them the Callings, differently. He draws them. It’s how he learned about the missing passengers because he was channeling one of the passengers' pain from the experiments. I need to ask Ben if he had any Callings recently or if Michaela had any. And, I need to ask Saanvi more about Zeke. So, I want you to keep asking this Joseph Lazarus guy every possible question you can. I need to pay a visit to Ben Stone. I’ll be back.”

A few hours later, Vance arrived at Ben’s house. He knocked on the door and Grace answered. “Is Ben Stone home?” he asked. “He is. You must be Vance. Come inside.” Grace let him in. “Can I get you anything to drink? Water, juice?” Vance shook his head. “No thanks,” he told her. “I’m fine.” Grace smiled. “I’ll get Ben for you. I’ll be back.” Grace left Vance in the entrance way and stepped into the garage. A few moments later, Ben appeared. “Vance,” he said, surprised that he was here. “Is everything ok? Have you heard from Saanvi?” Vance held out a hand to stop him from talking. “I need to ask you a whole bunch of questions. Namely, what is Michaela’s connection with Yusuv Al-Zuras?” This took Ben by surprise. “What do you mean?” he asked. “Yusuv Al-Zuras is here in New York. He appeared in Tannersville right near the cave where Zeke Landon was found. He says he needs Michaela and this guy.” Vance showed Ben the drawing of Michaela and Zeke. “Oh my God,” Ben whispered. “Vance, I think Michaela and Zeke may have unleashed something that they didn’t intend. But, to make sure, I need to call someone.” At that moment, Ben’s phone rang and it was TJ. “TJ,” Ben said as he rubbed his hand over his head. “I was just about to call you. What’s going on?”

“Have you seen the news?”

“No, I try not to watch the news. Too much 828 coverage these days. What’s going on?”

“I was reading Al-Zuras’ journal and he wrote something about Zeke and Michaela’s gift. Apparently, transmitting Callings to non-passengers has a downside. It can cause a whole strain of strange appearances to happen around the globe which is what is going on right now.”

Ben felt his face turn white. “Oh God,” he breathed. “TJ have you been able to reach Zeke and Mick?”

“No. I’ve been calling them for days and they’re not picking up. Ben, they brought Al-Zuras’ crew to the 21st century. And they are the only ones who can bring them back home.” “Have you heard from Jared and Drea? They’re-----” Ben stopped talking. “Oh God,” he whispered. “It’s Valentine’s Day. The Calling. Guide Them. Vance, we need to get to D’Amicos. Jared and Drea are there and they’re supposed to---” Ben looked at Vance. Vance looked shocked as he stared at his phone. “Vance? You alright?” Vance shook his head as he saw the text from Cassandra.

_**Vance,** _

_**SOS!! Joseph Lazarus has escaped the facility.** _


	13. Chapter Thirteen

For a moment, time seemed to stand still; there was no fire, no people screaming, just nothing. And then, it all came back, like a tidal wave. “I am Joseph Lazarus,” he said. “I need their help. They are the only ones who can help me. I thought they would be here but you’re not them!” I looked at Jared. “We need to get out of here,” I told him. “Come on!” Taking the man’s hand, I led him out of the burning building while Jared led out Addie, the wife of an elderly man that we were asked to find. The smoke was getting thicker and I felt my eyes burn and tears were falling down my cheeks. All four of us were holding hands and I felt Jared squeeze my hand tightly, telling me that he was there, and it was ok.

When we managed to get out of the building, I took a deep breath and I started sobbing. Jared noticed and took me aside and he held on to me as I cried in his chest. I was convinced that I probably wrecked his nice shirt with all my snot and tears. I felt his hand brush my hair and I held onto him tighter. I couldn’t believe that a Calling, of all things, led us to help save so many lives. But it also brought a lot of questions. Like, why me and Jared? We weren’t passengers and we certainly were not Zeke Landon. We were just regular people who got pulled into something that was mystifying and intriguing.

I didn’t know how long I cried for until I felt my breathing getting back into control. I pulled apart just for a moment and Jared gave a soft look. “You ok now?” he asked, the concern in voice quite evident. “I’m a little better,” I managed to say. “Still shocked though.” He nodded. “Same.” He turned around and saw Ben and another man walking towards. “Ben, Vance,” Jared said as he walked towards them. “What are you doing here?” “Well I see you followed the Calling,” Ben remarked as he looked at all the people in the parking lot. “Well, you and Drea of course. Did you guys come across a Joseph Lazarus?” I nodded. “He’s over there being checked out by the EMT’s,” I told him. “Ben, he thought Michaela and Zeke were supposed to be here. I think he might need a psych eval.” Vance shook his head. “And you are?” he asked me. “I’m sorry, I’m Detective Drea Mikami. Michaela Stone is my partner but she’s gone on her honeymoon with her husband. And you are?” “Director Robert Vance of the NSA. I dealt with the aftermath of the reappearance of Flight 828 and...other strange occurrences.” Jared looked at me and back at Vance. “What other strange occurrences?” he asked. “Well, my team is still curious how Zeke Landon is connected to the passengers of Flight 828 especially with Michaela Stone. And the circumstances of James Griffin’s reappearance and death. Oh, and the sudden spike of strange reappearances that have happened all across the globe. This guy, Joseph Lazarus claims that he is a 16th century sailor named Yusuv Al-Zuras and somehow Michaela Stone and her husband drew him and his crew here to the 21st century.” For what seemed like the millionth time, Jared and I gave each other a look that basically said: “What the hell is going on?” There was a pause before Vance spoke again. “Have you heard from Michaela, Detectives?” I nodded. “She and Zeke are in Paris for Valentine’s Day and she sent me a picture of the two of them in Paris. That was a few hours ago.” “After we are done here, see if you can reach her since we are having a hard time reaching her.” I nodded. “Will do. Do you need us to help with the Joseph guy?” Vance shook his head. “I think we are fine for now. You should probably get checked out by the EMT’s before heading home.” Thanking Vance and Ben, Jared took my hand and we walked to the EMT’s to get ourselves checked out.

I took Jared back to my place and we sat on the couch and I called Mick. My calls kept going to voicemail so I texted her.

_**Mick, if you get this, please call me ASAP. We really need to talk.** _

“She’s not answering your calls either?” Jared asked. “Yeah. You?” He nodded. “Maybe she’s sleeping or she is having a very good time with Zeke and she is ignoring her phone. I mean, when those two stare into each other’s eyes, it’s like the world completely fades for them. I bet they’re doing that right now.” Jared raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so you stalk them?” he teased. “No!” I told him as I hit him playfully. “I just admire their relationship very much. Just like how I admire ours.” Jared smiled at me. “You did well in that fire, Drea.” he whispered. “I’m proud of you.” I felt myself blush. “No, I’m proud of you, for sticking with me and for helping everyone out. You saved a lot of lives tonight.” Jared took my hand in his and he gently squeezed it. “You’re incredible, Drea Mikami. And, I’m so glad that we’re partners and that we are a team.” He paused. “Come closer to me and rest, honey,” he murmured. “We had a long day.” I nodded and I felt Jared pull me closer to him and I closed my eyes and fell asleep instantly.

So many things happened today and the one question that was eating away in my mind was who the hell was Joseph Lazarus and why he was here in New York. And why our destinies are all linked together. Why did the Callings want me and Jared to help save those people? And why Michaela and Zeke sent it to us? _It has to mean something,_ I thought. _But what?_


End file.
